Belldandy
Belldandy | |
---|---|
Oh My Goddess! character | |
First appearance | Chapter 1 |
Created by | Kōsuke Fujishima |
Voiced by |
|
In-universe information | |
Gender | Female |
Rank | First class, second category, unlimited license, Valkyrie License |
Dimension | 10th ( Yggdrasil) |
Elemental Affinity | Wind, Air |
Angel | Holy Bell, Blue Lance (temporary) |
Belldandy (ベルダンディー, Berudandī;
Her first appearance was in
Belldandy is regarded by commentators as an example of the
Creation and conception
Belldandy was created by
Belldandy's original concept was loosely based on a depiction of
Norse origins
Fujishima was particularly interested in the concept of a goddess "as a job", and turned to Norse mythology as he felt that it was relatively unknown in Japan.
Character outline
Background
Belldandy is depicted as being a Goddess working with the fictional "Goddess Relief Agency".[18] Although the series never specifically mentions her age, there are hints that she is between 18 and 28 when the series begins: in the original manga her birthdate is shown as NOT KNOWN[19]—the English translation offers no year, but simply says "UNKNOWN"[20]—while in the anime the more specific 1985/01/01 is employed.[21] This should not be seen as conclusive as Eileen Stevens, who provides the voice of Belldandy in the English-language version of the TV series, states that while Belldandy is "young in appearance, late teens to early 20s, she's ageless, perhaps thousands of years old."[22]
Fujishima provided the character with two sisters—
When the series begins, Belldandy is working on the "Goddess Technical Helpline", also known as "Goddess Relief Office / Agency"" and is responsible for granting wishes to those who call.
Personality
The "
Belldandy is exceptionally kind-hearted, even for a goddess. She can easily sense other people's emotions and tries her best to be empathetic to all those around her, displaying a combination of "serene beauty and acceptance".[31] She rarely holds a grudge and is always willing to forgive anyone who does injury to her...unless Keiichi is involved of course. Even though Belldandy tries her best to be as kind as possible, it is revealed that at times she can become very insecure and sad, especially when she is confronted with an implication that involves Keiichi in one way or another.[32] This aspect of her character provides one of the biggest plot points in the Ah! My Goddess movie: Belldandy's possessiveness of Keiichi could make her an easy target for manipulation or even brainwashing, if the right buttons were pressed; her jealousy of Morgan Le Fay was what allowed Celestin, her teacher, to lure Belldandy into his plans.[33]
As noted by Perper and Cornog, Belldandy, as a depiction of what they term "kirei", is comfortable "being loved and admired" and very much aware of her own beauty[31]—yet this does not equate to vanity.[34]
Abilities
Belldandy is unflinchingly kind, patient, and warm, not only to Keiichi but to everyone, without exception. This, however, does not mean that she is to be taken lightly; Belldandy is licensed as a "goddess first-class, unlimited", and as such is depicted as being highly skilled. Her power is so great that she is required to wear a special earring on her left ear which constantly seals the full brunt of her magical strength.[35] The only time at which she has ever revealed her true strength is during the "Lord of Terror" arc. At the end of this arc, Belldandy completely reconstructed their home from rubble, mentioning that doing so only took one ten-millionth of her power.[36][37][38][39]
Belldandy's capacities and talents are diverse, whether magical or worldly. Not only can she change the appearance of her clothing[40] and levitate (and, by extension, fly), but she can also teleport through mirrors,[41] speak to and understand animals,[42][43] "see" people's emotions as auras,[44] heal minor wounds by speeding metabolism,[45] and "speak" to machines.[46][47] Furthermore, she is a superb cook,[48] and her singing skills are held to be the best in the heavens. She is also incapable of becoming inebriated on alcoholic drinks, but instead becomes so with soda.[49] (One can is enough to send her in a drunken rampage—although given her personality, "rampage" takes an entirely different, but no less destructive, meaning).[50] During the manga's publication, more of Belldandy's capabilities are discovered, but she probably has many more : Urd notes that Belldandy loves accumulating capabilities,[51] but usually doesn't mention them herself. Among those seen in the manga, she has a Valkyrie diploma - as demonstrated when she neutralizes Thrym the Invincible in hand-to-hand combat[52] - and she's a champion flying broom racer.[53] The only thing she can't do is lie (it is linked to her qualification as a goddess first class[54]). She will go to great length to not hurt others provided Keichi isn't in harm's way, otherwise she will "deal" with anything and anyone standing in her way (see Thrym above for the most out of character example) whatever the cost on herself.
Holy Bell
Each of the fully-fledged goddesses in the series is teamed with an "angel", that represents the goddesses' "True Self" or "Higher Self". Belldandy's angel is called
Plot overview
Belldandy is introduced to the series when Keiichi Morisato, portrayed as a typical college student with a notable lack of experience with women,—thus providing one of the key premises of the series.
With Belldandy and Keiichi now portrayed as a couple, Fujishima introduces other factors: specifically the complications caused by family and friends.[3] Forced to leave his dorm, as women are not permitted to stay on the premises,[11] Keiichi and Belldandy end up living at the Tariki Hongan Temple in the city of Nekomi, Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. Within both the manga and the anime, the temple was turned over to them by its former guardian, Koshian, a Buddhist monk who was overwhelmed by the purity of Belldandy's spirit and her unparalleled skills in polishing the temple altar, in cooking, and in Zazen meditation.[58] Koshian departs the series by leaving for a pilgrimage to find spiritual perfection, (although he does briefly return later in the series), turning over the temple to Belldandy and Keiichi's care without realizing Belldandy's true nature as a Goddess.[59] Later, Fujishima has Belldandy's two sisters (Urd and Skuld) join Belldandy and Keiichi in the temple.[3] The story then follows the numerous misadventures of the not-so normal household, their growth over the course of the series and the budding romance between an ordinary young man and an angelic goddess.
Relationship with Keiichi
Although Belldandy was sent to grant Keiichi a wish and nothing more, Belldandy expresses many times that she has enjoyed her time with Keiichi and that her purpose is to make him happy. The contract really is an excuse for her to stay since her rival
There have been a couple of noticeable twitches in this however, when Belldandy shows doubt as to her future with Keiichi. When he takes up his job at Whirlwind towards the end of his time at Nekomi Tech, Belldandy reflects on how he's beginning to follow his dream, before wondering just how far she can follow it with him. Then at the start of the current storyline in Volume 38, in which the demon Hagall overthrows Hild, Keiichi asks Belldandy if she will walk with him as his companion in life; she hesitates, saying "I... Of course I will", without meeting his eyes.
In chapter 285, "Kiss of Truth", Hild reveals that Keiichi's sexual desires for Belldandy have previously been sealed away in order to prevent humans and gods from mating, as would be the natural consequences of Keiichi's wish for a goddess to be with him always. This explains why Keiichi has never been very forward in their relationship. Although Belldandy has never lied about this situation, she has also never told him. When the old contract was dissolved and a new one is formed, Belldandy and Keiichi are immediately confronted with an Interracial Romance Inquisitor (
Depictions
The character is depicted as being extremely beautiful, but not voluptuous in the same sense as her sister, Urd, nor does she possess the youthfulness of her younger sister, Skuld. As described by Perper and Cornog:
Belldandy in particular is drawn in kirei style—her prettiness is not the youthful innocence of bishojo or kawaii, but instead centers on composure, tranquillity, and utter self-possession coupled with great loveliness. Belldandy has a gentle elegance that is hard to describe, for example when her long, dark blonde hair flies about in sweeps and whorls and accentuates her movements.
— Perper and Cornog, page 65[57]
She is often depicted in "angelic" poses, with "impossibly long" hair, sparkling eyes, and a perfectly proportioned body.[9]
Manga
When Fujishima first started drawing Oh My Goddess! his style resembled that of his earlier series, You're Under Arrest, and as such lacked the polish that became evident in his later work.
-
Belldandy from "Wrong Number", 1989[24]
-
Belldandy from "The Goddesses' Big Crisis", 1991[65]
Anime
Kosuke Fujishima was involved in the design for the OVA, (even working on some of the storyboards),
In the OVA, TV series, movie and in The Adventures of Mini Goddess, the original voice of Belldandy was provided by voice actress Kikuko Inoue; such was the success of Inoue that Fujishima was said to have been influenced by her when developing the manga character after the release of the first OVA.[71] Akemi Okamura took on the role for the first 13 episodes of Adventures of a Mini Goddess due to Inoue's pregnancy.[72]
Three different voice actors have provided Belldandy's voice in the English versions of the various anime series. For the English OVA, Belldandy's voice was provided by
Reception and critique
The character of Belldandy was generally well received and has a large number of fans, as evidenced when she was voted the second most popular female character in a 2001 poll in Newtype.[4] In addition, Belldandy topped the Animage character polls for many months and was placed third on the all time Best Character list at the 17th Anime Grand Prix held in 1993.[5] Nevertheless, as reviewer Zac Bertschy described the situation: "People tend to go either way on the Belldandy character; either she's an obnoxious, archaic fantasy girl for men who prefer their women to act like indentured servants, or she's the archetype of perfection, a flawless example of graceful femininity".[10]
The critique that Belldandy represents a negative
Either way, commentators still notice strengths in Belldandy's character. While acknowledging the conservative portrayal, Napier describes Belldandy as "almost a perfect dream of feminine nurturance" and identifying that she has a "soothing and escapist function",[80] while reviewer Megan Lavey states that Belldandy is no pushover, and that she can hold her own, noting that she is making "the best of difficult circumstances."[81]
Another line of criticism of Belldandy relates to the sexual nature of the character, with Belldandy being described by one commentator as a "soft porn goddess".
References
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- ^ a b "Newtype top 10 Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ a b Lee, Roderick (1997). "Oh My Goddess! AnimEigo Dubbed Release". EX: The Online World of Anime and Manga. 2 (7). Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
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- ^ a b c Bertschy, Zac (November 3, 2005). "Ah My Goddess - DVD 2: Love Plus One". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ a b Ulmer, Jeff (October 5, 2001). "Oh My Goddess! #1 (Review)". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ^ Gubbins, Paul. ""You're Under Arrest" TV series FAQ". Anime on DVD. Archived from the original on 2006-03-25. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
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- ^ Shingo (February 28, 2005). "A Discourse on Moe, Part I: Introduction and a Moetic Taxonomy (2nd Draft)". Heisei Democracy. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
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- ^ "Ah! My Goddess! Flights of Fancy Vol. 1: Everyone Has Wings". Underland Online Reviews. Retrieved 2008-04-09.[permanent dead link]
- Ah! My Goddess. Season 2. Episode 4. April 27, 2006.
- ^ Fujishima, Kōsuke. Oh My Goddess! (manga) – chapter 260.
- ^ Fujishima, Kosuke. "259". Ah! My Goddess.
- ^ Fujishima, Kōsuke. Oh My Goddess! (manga) – chapter 182.
- ^ Fujishima, Kosuke. "34". Ah! My Goddess.
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- ^ Salpini, Susan (2002). "Wrong Number (Book)". School Library Journal. 48 (9).
- ^ Ngan, Chadwick. "Oh My Goddess! Terrible Master Urd". EX: The Online World of Anime and Manga. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
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- ^ Martin, Theron (October 6, 2005). "Ah! My Goddess - DVD 1: Always and Forever". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ^ Divers, Allen (April 22, 2002). "Adventures of the Mini Goddesses: DVD 1 - The Gan Files". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ^ Official profile Archived 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine, 代表作「ああっ女神さまっ」のベルダンディー役では、原作コミックのベルダンディーまで次第に井上喜久子化していったことで有名である。
- ^ Beveridge, Chris (January 28, 2002). "Adventures of Mini Goddess Vol. #1 (Review)". Anime on DVD. Archived from the original on April 13, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ "Oh My Goddess! #1: Moonlight: Ep. 1-3 (DVD)". Special Edition. DVDTown.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ OVA 5 DVD commentary
- ADV Films. Archived from the originalon October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 206.
- Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 207.
- Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 211.
- ^ Ross, Carlos (2000). "Ah! My Goddess The Movie". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 208.
- ^ Lavey, Megan (January 19, 2006). "Oh My Goddess! Vol. #01 (review)". Anime on DVD. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ Yaeger, Lynn (September 3, 1996). "Pacific overtures". The Village Voice. New York. p. 34. "...a paintit-yourself model of a soft-plastic, soft-core porn babe named Belldandy"
- ^ ISBN 1-880656-53-1.